Auxiliary propeller control for airplanes.



N A N U A B L LM AUXILIAHY .PROPELLER CONTROL FOR AIRPLANES.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I?, I9I8.

@mbH/moo F. l. BAUMAN.

AUXILIARY PROPELLER CONTROL FOR AIBPLANES. APPLICATmN man MN. 11. |918.

1,287,614, Patented Dee. 17, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

] nom/ttm F. J. BAUMAN.

AUXILIARY PROPELLER CONTROL FOR AIRPLANES.

APPLxcAnoN man 1AN.17,|9xa.

$287,614. Patent-ed Dec. 17, 1'918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FRAYK J'. BAMAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO HARRY M. l

LAU AND ONE-THIRD T0 DEBERT M. WHITE, BOTH 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

AUXILIARY PROPELLER CONTROL FOR. AIRPLANES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 17, 1918. Serial No. 212,203.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, FRANK J. BAUMAN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Vayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Auxiliary Propeller Control for Airplanes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to airplanes, and particularly to meansfor the propulsion and control of such vehicles. l

The invention has for its principal object to provide improved propelling means for airplanes, especially of the bi-plane type, by which the driving power may be increased and the stability and control of the craft enhanced so as to enable the machine when in flight to be abruptly deflected later`- ally in its course as well as to he quickly turned about in a horizontal-plane.

ln attaining this object the invention provides for the employment in connection with the usual forward-main propeller of a biplane of a pair of opposed auxiliary propellers arranged transversely of said main propeller to rotate vertically at opposite ends respectively of and intermediate the upper and' lower planes of the machine.

v These propellers arev driven separately through manually controlled releasable driving connections with the engine and are adapted to be operated either separately or collectively in unison with the main propeller.

One embodiment of the propelling means comprising my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as applied to an airplane of particular structural features constituting the subject matter of a co-pending application for patent' filed by me January 4, 1918, Serial No. 210,356, and which form no part of the present invention.

In the drawings,

Figurel is a side elevation of a loi-plane having my improved propelling means applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the structure as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal section through the structure on dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the parts of the machine by the characters of reference on the drawings, 'l indicates generally the frame-work or body, 2 the upper planeand 3 the lower 'plane of a craft of the bi-plane type.

Mounted on'the frame or body is an engine '4, and arranged at the forward end of the craft is the usual main driving propeller 5 which may be driven by the engine in any suitable manner, but is herein shown as mounted upon a horizontally journaled propeller shaft 6 which extends into a gear case 7 and carries a pinion 8 in mesh with a gear 9 on a vertical shaft 10 which is journaled in said gear case and connected by gears 11 in driving engagement-with the shaft 12 of the engine.

Arranged to operate transversely of said` main propeller respectively at opposite ends of and intermediate the upper and lower planes 2 and 3 is a pair of vertically rotatable auxiliary propellers 13 the respective blades of which are reversely opposed in angular relation and adapted to oppositely exert drawing force upon the craft transversely of its forwardly propelled course. These auxiliary propellers, which are adapted to be driven independently and collectively relatively to and in unison with the main propeller, are respectively mounted upon transverse horizontal shafts 14 which are journaled at one end each in bearings 15 on the frame l, and extend at their opposite ends through bearings 16 on the 'gear -case 7 i-nto axial fjlinement within said case. Loosely receiving the inner ends of the shafts 14 is a clutch barrel 17 carrying a gear 18 in mesh with the gear 9 of the vertical shaft 10, and engageable with thc clutch barrel and splined onthe respective shafts 17 are slidable clutches 19 which are 4normally held in driving engagement with the ends of said barrel'by coiled springs 20 interposed between the ends of the gear case and the hubs of said clutches. n The latter are each provided with a peripheral groove -21 for the reception of a shifting Vyoke 22 carried by a rock-shaft 23 which is ioursion of the driving power to the auxiliary propellers may be controlled to operate said propellers either singly or collectively independently of said main propeller or correspondingly in conjunction therewith.

It will now appear that when said auxiliary propellers are both in operation with the main propeller, as when the craft is under headway in fiight, the action of said auxiliary propellers will tend to exert an upward and forward lifting force upon the craft owing to the great-er tractive effort induced by the blades through the upper forwardarcsof their travel against the air pressure resulting from the velocity of the forward movement of the craft than is afforded the blades through the lower ares of their travel under the influence of such pressure. Since these propellers are a1'- ranged to operate at the extremities of the main planes transverse to the main propeller, the .lateral drawing force exerted by the former will be neutralizedl by their` opposed action when driven together and the direction of the forward course influenced by the main propeller will not be affected. while at the same time the lifting force exerted by said auxiliary propellers upon the ends of the main planes will assist infcounterbalancing and stabilizingthe craft against axial movement in flight.

In connection withthe use of the usual tail rudders, as indicated at 27 and 28 for respectively controlling the course of the craft upon the water and in the air, the auxiliary' propellers nafiy be effectively utilized to enable the craftI to be quickly turned or deflected in its course by operating them independently in conjunction witheither or both the main propeller and steering rudder. For example, when releasing either of the auxiliary propellers from driving power through disengagement of the corresponding clutch, the propeller remaining in driving engagement will exert a drawing force upon the craft transverse to that of the main propeller and the craft will be deflected horizontally in a forward, angular direction laterally of its course. This movement may be accelerated by the proper manipulation of the 'steering rudder to correspondingly atl'o-rd angular resistance to the forward travel of the craft, and by setting the rudder in a transverse position with one of the aux iliary 4propellers operating independently of the main propeller the craft may be caused' to turn in the arc of a circle about said rudder.

It will be understood that my improved features as described may also be applied to airplanes as commonly constructed and equipped with landing gear, steering, plane warping, and stabilizing and controlling.

mechanisms.

Vhat I claim is: 1. In an airplane, the combination with the main plane and body of an aircrat,of an engine mounted thereon, a main driving propeller operatively connected with said engine, reversely opposed auxiliary ropellers journaled at opposite ends of sai plane to rotatevertically transversely of said main propeller, and means for driving said auxiliary propellers simultaneously with said main propeller. y

2. In an airplane, the combination with the main plane and body of an aircraft, of an engine mounted thereon, a main vertically rotatable propeller lconnected in driving engagement with said engine, auxiliary vertically rotatable propellers journaled on horizontal axes adjacent the ends of said plane in opposed transverse relation to said main propeller, and driving connections for operating said auxiliary propeller in uni' ',n with said main propeller.

3. In an airplane, the combination with the plane and body of an aircraft, of an engine mounted thereon, a main forward driving propeller operatively connected with said engine, vertically rotatable auxiliary propellers mounted in opposed relation respectivelyv adjacent the ends of said plane, and engageable driving connections for se'- lectively dctuating said auxiliary propellers independently with said main propeller.

4. In an airplane, the combination with the planesand body of a4 bi-plane aircraft, of an engine mounted thereon, a. main forward driving propeller operatively connected with said engine, vertically rotatable auxiliary lpropellers arranged intermediate said planes at op osite ends respectively thereof and connect d for driving engagement with the engine, and manually controlled means for establishing driving connections between said engine and said auxiliary propellers.

5. In an airplane, the combination wit-h the planes and body of abi-plane aircraft, of an engine mounted thereon, a main forward vertically rotatable propeller operatively connected in driving engagement with said engine, vertically rotatable reversely opposed auxiliary propellers mounted respectively upon horizontal axis intermediate the planes adjacent the ends thereof, and independently engageable driving connec- -tions between the engine and said auxiliary.

propellers. y. v I

6. In` an airplane, the combination with the planes and body of a bi-plane aircraft,

of an. engine mounted thereon, a main forward driving propeller operatively connected with said engine, axially alined transverse shafts journaled intermediate said planes, reversely opposed auxiliary propellers mounted on ysaid shafts respectively adjacent the ends of said planes, and clutch mechanism for establishing releasable driving connections between said shafts and said engine.

ingaan. y J

7:11a an airplane; thecombination with means for operating said auxiliary propel v the planes and body of a bi-plane aircraft 1ers in conJunction with the proelling' equipped with propelling and controlling and controlling means of said aircra means, of a air oi vertically rotatable aux- In testimony whereof I sign this specifi u 5 iliary prope lers arranged 1n reversely opcation.

posed relation intermediatesaid planes atopposite ends respectively thereof, and FRANK J. BAU'MAN. 

